At present, many firms are trying to develop travelling-wave looms featuring a productivity rate of 5 to 10 times higher than that of the looms now commonly in use.
Adequate designing of individual mechanisms and assemblies of a travelling-wave loom will enable the latter to run at a high speed with minimum time-outs.
One of the principal assemblies in a travelling-wave loom is the mechanism for loading the carriers (shuttles) with a weft thread of a definite length. This mechanism includes, essentially, a weft-winding device, a package-holder and an apparatus for gripping the weft thread. Depending upon the construction of the loom, the loading mechanism may accommodate a number of other mechanisms.
There is known a device for threading carriers with a weft thread for a travelling-wave loom, comprising a rotatably installed weft-winding device, package-holders and a disk with grips (cf. DDR Patent No. 127160), wherein for each weft thread there is provided an individual grip having two gripping lugs, one of which is movable and coupled with the control mechanism thereof. The weft thread occupying the space between the lugs is gripped due to the movable lug being urged against the stationary one.
The disadvantages of these grips include:
(a) structural complexity (an individual grip composed of a number of parts is installed for each thread, and there is provided a provision of systems for controlling these grips); PA0 (b) sluggishness (due to a great number of rotating parts inertial forces appear when the loom is started and stopped); PA0 (c) inconvenience in servicing (the necessity to adjust each grip separately when the loom is refitted in compliance with the operating conditions).